Under the Willow Tree
by yellyme
Summary: After ten long years Ash had finally won a league and his friends back home are throwing a party in his honor. And amidst the celebration and excitement, one friend is starting to feel a little bit different. My first fic! Pokéshipping!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there! So, this is the first fic that I'm uploading and I'm pretty nervous. Haha. So this one's pretty long (I'm sorry ) and I initially planned for it to be just a one-shot, but after finishing it, I started to think otherwise lol. Well, here goes! I hope you enjoy!**

 **I do not own** **Pokémon or any of its characters** **.**

It was the perfect escape. With May and Dawn distracted by their respective rivals, Misty had all the time in the world to slip away from the crowd and take refuge under the willow tree sitting at the bank of the nearest brook that ran through Oak Corral.

It wasn't that far. The willow tree was one of the few of its kind in Professor Oak's Pokémon sanctuary. Under the faint moonlight, its long slender branches rich with its signature long green leaves hangs lazily like a curtain sending an eerie feeling to anyone who sets its sight on it. Because of that, no one really hangs near the tree—a perfect spot for Misty to seek peace of mind.

She brushes aside a portion of the hanging branches and enters the area under the willow. The first step sends a sense of calm her way and immediately she knew that she went to the right place. She continues on to the edge of the bank and sits there, removing her sandals and dipping her feet until they settled on top of the smooth rock bed.

Misty closed her eyes and heaved a sigh at the feel of the cool water on her skin. Dipping herself in water always managed to calm her down. Thank Arceus the Oak Corral even had a natural body of water or else Misty would have dipped her fingers in her glass of water one too many times.

It was peacefully quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the rush of water from the brook at her feet and the evening breeze lazily rustling the curtain of leaves isolating her from the outside world.

She needed a breather.

Ash had finally won a league and they were throwing him this victory party at Oak Corral, Professor Oak's huge Pokémon sanctuary behind his lab. Misty was ecstatic for her former travelling companion. She, of all people, knew how much he struggled at the start of his journey. He started out childish, impulsive, and very stubborn, but Misty knew that the day will come when he'll pull through.

And after ten long years he's finally taken the top spot on the podium; finally a Champion.

Everything went well as the party started. Ash had arrived from the airport a little after seven in the evening. Almost everyone that he knew was at the venue – Gym Leaders, Professors, friends – even Bianca all the way from Alto Mare was present. Some rivals-turned-friends were also present. Just shows how much of an impression Ash has made in their lives.

It wasn't like her. Heck, she should never be feeling that way in the first place. When she started feeling queasy during the trip from Cerulean to Pallet, she brushed it off as just motion sickness. Well, she made herself believe it was motion sickness and not the many Butterfree entering her stomach from anxiety. Why would she be anxious in the first place, right? It's just Ash for Mew's sake. Upon arriving at the venue she managed to calm herself down. Talking to her old friends helped too.

But upon seeing him in the in the flesh for the first time in seven years, she couldn't help but feel so…shy.

Ash delivered a small speech in continuation to the one he delivered at the after-party of the Kalos League. He addressed the many people that went to the party and thanked them for coming. After dinner he went to socialize from group to group like the social Butterfree that he is. He's probably planning to talk to each and every one of those who came. _That's definitely something that Ash would do._

And in the midst of it all her anxiety grew and grew to the point where she thought her heart and mind were going to burst simultaneously. Just before Ash was about to move in to address the people that she happened to be with, she escaped.

"Ahhh…why won't you calm down…" clutching that part of her dress just above her heart, she closed her eyes and tried to meditate.

 _Don't think…don't think. Clear your mind._

It was just Ash. Ash Ketchum; the kid who burned her bike. The annoying twerp who had a knack of attracting side quests on their way to a certain city or town. It took all of her energy and willpower to stay sane every time they literally ran into double trouble.

 _Tune everything out…listen to nature_ — _to the gentle breeze, to the running water…_

To her relief, she could finally feel her heart calm down. She gave out another sigh and continued to concentrate on the sound of nature around her, and for some reason, some good memories of her past journey with the twerp casually popped into her mind; the moment she first fished him out of the water, that time when he thought he'd died and ended up getting lifted off the ground by his idiotic ghost, that unforgettable moment when Ash manages to convince her that Butterfee wasn't all that bad days before he let Butterfree go, that slight feeling of disappointment when Ash managed to buy her a new bike, and the many times that she's scolded him for being the childish, stubborn, dense airhead that…that…

… _you learned to like._

Her eyes shot open as she jerked up so sit straight. Her clutched hand tightened its grip as she got the other to hold her forehead in disbelief. "What…?"

 _What are you saying? What are you saying?!_

Immediately she got both hands to her head and desperately ruffled her bangs hoping that her mind would be so shaken that it would stop suggesting gibberish thoughts.

 _You can't start thinking that. He's your friend for Arceus' sake!_

It didn't help either that her heart was starting to race again. She started stomping her feet on the slippery rock bed beneath her, slightly splashing water on the skirt of her dress. The orange-haired woman even gave out unintelligible sounds of frustration and confusion and at the back of her mind she was thankful that there was no one around to witness her sanity breaking down.

Of course, that was the moment when that familiar raven-head appears behind her. Misty was too preoccupied with sorting out her thoughts that she didn't notice him calling to her until she felt a hand lightly place itself on her right shoulder.

"Misty?" his questioning voice was quiet and careful, yet Misty couldn't help but jump in surprise at that brief contact. Ash immediately retreated his hand but was quick to catch her when she abruptly stood up and slipped on the algae covered rock bed.

Misty wanted to die.

Of all the times her clumsiness decided to show, why in that moment? Ash tried his best to help her stand upright. He had his arms supporting her elbows and his chest pressed hard against her back, but every time she tried lifting her up, her feet just so happens to step on the more slippery rocks and continued slipping on slipping until he pulled hard and got both of them falling on their bottoms on the soft ground.

It was embarrassing. No. It was extremely humiliating! Both of them were partially wet with all the splashing around that she's done. She was sitting with his legs on either side of her – her back even more pressed against his surprisingly well toned chest with his hands wrapped tightly around her waist. She couldn't help but tense up the moment she felt his breath ghost the bare part of her shoulder.

For a quick second neither of them moved. Misty was basically paralyzed. Her mind started to go haywire while her heart pounded hard against her ribcage. She was certain she was going to explode any minute if things stayed as they are. Finally, Ash opens his mouth to say something, "Man that hurt." He was observant that way.

He turns his head to face her. "Arceus, Misty. Be more careful next time," Misty's muscles tensed and goosebumps found its way to her skin as she felt Ash's breath ghost her cheek. He was too close.

 _Devastatingly close._

"Wh-what are you talking about? You were the one who snuck up on me," Misty manages to retort. "You couldn't have just called my attention like any normal person would do," she adds and tries to move from his hold. Thankfully Ash gets the idea and removes himself from behind her. He stands up and offers a hand to Misty.

"Ehh? I did call your attention. You didn't answer so I went over," he answers as Misty refuses his hand and stands up on her own. The two of them fix themselves afterwards as Misty concentrates on the brook in front of her, trying her best to act calmer.

Almost immediately Ash's attention turns elsewhere. He stands close beside her as his gaze roams from the willow tree, to the brook, and out to the dimly lit forest in the distance. "Uwah, some place you've got here," he says as he marvels at the little sanctuary Misty has found under the willow tree. "I didn't even know Professor Oak's backyard had something like this."

Misty took his moment of distraction to steal a few glances. Ash had grown much from the last time she saw him in Dr. Yung's lab. Now that he was just an arm's length away, Misty could clearly see how his features were more pronounced; his cheeks, his nose, his jawline. His shoulders were now broader, and he definitely taller than her now.

The Gym Leader didn't even notice how she was staring for too long until Ash's innocent brown eyes bumped into her viridian ones. "Misty, did you hear what I said?"

Misty woke up from her trance and cursed under her breath. She turned her head to the opposite side and tried hiding her face without him noticing her anxiety or the redness in her cheeks.

"Misty, are you alright? You've been spacing out too much." Even his voice has changed, although only a tad bit. It was deeper and the silence that surrounded them made it more profound. She tried to calm down again for the millionth time and after taking a deep breath she turned to face him.

It took a while for her to speak. For some reason his brown eyes were hypnotizing, oddly keeping her gaze locked with his. "What are you doing here?" was what came out of her mouth. Not that it wasn't a serious question. She was certain that no one would notice someone hiding under the willow tree, much less go near it at night.

"Would _'wanting to see an old friend'_ suffice?" he answers as he flashes her that familiar innocent smile of his. Misty couldn't help but lightly blush, but this time she didn't turn away.

* * *

Both of them were sitting on the bank, their feet submerged under the cool water of the brook. This time, Misty made sure she wasn't stepping on any slippery rocks. She didn't want another embarrassing stunt pulled in front of Ash.

Ash was talking nonstop about his adventures that happened after they last met and this time she was listening attentively. The new travelling companions that he's met, new Pokémon he encountered, the new places that he's been to—everything. And Misty couldn't help but laugh at herself. She couldn't have imagined it'd be this easy to talk to him again like this. It was like the seven-year gap never even happened. She got all shy and nervous for nothing.

It was as if everything's falling into place and Misty was more than thrilled.

Somewhere along Ash's story-telling, he got up from the ground and walked to the middle of the brook, directly in front of her.

"Kalos is a pretty awesome region you know. There are lots of different places to see, a lot of things to do." Ash continued on and for the first time that day Misty actually managed a sincere smile. It was rather comforting that after all that he's been through, despite the achievements that he has reached, she could still see that same innocence in his eyes that she terribly missed seeing.

"We should travel there together," he ends his story with a breath hitching proposal. Misty couldn't help but look taken aback.

"What?" she had heard it, but it sounded so surreal that she had to ask.

"I said we should travel to Kalos together, you know, just like the old times, although in a different region," he laughs and Misty could only look at him. "Or if you want we could just go on tour. No gyms, no battles. Just a relaxing vacation."

She was tempted to see herself travelling with him again in a region that she'd only seen on television. All these years she's forced herself to come in terms with the future that she's limited herself: a Gym Leader. Not like she's condemning the honorable job of being one, but her soul continued to yearn for the adventures she'd experience outside of the confines of the Cerulean Gym. And for almost ten years she managed to live up to her responsibilities.

Then Ash comes along. Ash's question was a simple question that could be answered by a yes or no, but for Misty, it felt like a choice between a living a life and a living a lie.

"I can't. I have things to do here in Kanto," Misty replies, her smile disappearing into a melancholic smirk. "Why not? You were able to go with me before, right?" Ash's innocent reply had Misty wincing. She felt her heart slowly being crushed by the shackles that kept her firm in her place.

"Things were different before, Ash." Misty's faint reply was well heard in the silence of their hidden sanctuary. Looking away, she continued, "I was young and impulsive. I didn't think things through. I ran away without thinking how my actions would affect the Cerulean City Gym. After realizing that, I couldn't just bail out on my responsibilities again." She didn't mean to sound so miserable but hearing herself say those words had tears welling up to her eyes.

She's already told herself numerous times. _Stop it Misty. You're not going to cry over this again._

Knowing where this might all end up in, she grabs her sandals and begins to stand up. There was no way she's going to cry in front of Ash. "Look, Ash, I'm sorry. I'll excu—"

"What if I tell you that this time you don't need to?" Misty's eyes immediately shot to his direction, confusion definitely written all over her face while her friend flashes her a smile much like a three-year-old.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"What if you don't need to bail out on your responsibilities? See, I kind of asked one of your sisters to do the job while you're away." Ash answers seemingly proud of the news he was delivering.

"WHAT?!" There was a reason why she had to stay stuck with being Gym Leader despite having three older sisters. They couldn't do it properly years ago, what does doing it now be any different? Was he mocking her?!

"Woah, relax! Actually, it's you sister's husband that's going to give it a go. He'll need work on battling with water Pokémon but give him a few pointers and rest assured that no badge will be handed out without a fight." Misty took in his reply word by word.

The Cerulean City Gym has long been under the care of their family. Harrison is definitely one strong trainer. She still can remember the way Ash lost to him in the Silver Conference (and how weird it was when he ended up dating and marrying her sister). Sure she can groom him to get used to battling with only water-type Pokémon and he's technically part of the family now.

Misty kept on looking at the grinning Ash in front of her, wondering when, in his busy world of battles and badges, he's planned all of this. Misty was an old friend—their journeys together just mere memories. For someone whose sights have always been on the road in front of him, she never thought that a time will come when he'll step on the breaks, make that turn, come back and make sure to pick her up from memory lane.

"Oh…"

"Don't I at least get a 'thank you'?"

Misty shoots him a glare which makes him flinch for a quick second before her expression softens up into a conflicted pout. She turns her face away – looking at everything except Ash—takes a deep breath, swallows her pride, and muttering a quick 'thank you'.

Of course, Ash being Ash, he really didn't expect her to actually say it. Taking a few steps closer to her as he innocently asks her to say it again. "Eh? What did you say?"

Misty's lips twitch in irritation and she could feel a vein in her temple throb. She clears her throat and takes another deep breath.

"Thank you." She says again, noticeably louder and clearer. Misty could clearly feel her cheeks start to burn and with an exasperated sigh she turns to face him.

"There, I said it. Now can we please—"

Everything happened too fast to comprehend.

One hand lightly holding her arm, the other caressing one side of her face, his soft lips on hers.

And when he broke away, she just stared; not even minding that she just dropped her sandals on the water. For a quick moment no one spoke. The only sounds being the running water on their feet and the distant chatter and laughter from the party not too far. A faint breeze passes by them making the leaves of the willow trees and the skirt of her dress dance in anticipation.

 _What the Arceus…_

Ash was looking more or less composed, but when he noticed Misty snapping out of her mental breakdown, he immediately retreated behind his outstretched hands.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought you were going to hit me…" after a few seconds, Ash slowly dropped his hands. He kept his eyes on Misty's surprised expression on her flushed face, trying to read her next move. Ash may have been used to being hit by the many sane people that he's come across with, but that didn't mean that none of them hurt.

"So…you're not going to hit me?"

"Hit you? I'm going to _kill you_! Why did you kiss me?! Arceus Ash!" Misty exclaims, still with a flushed face but this time looking more frustrated. Then she turned and tried to get out of the water. She didn't even make time to pick up her soaked sandals.

Right now, all she wanted to do was find a lake and drown in it. With what Ash just did, ankle-deep running water wasn't enough to calm herself down. _Arceus, why did he do that?!_

Despite her outburst and Misty's attempt to run away, Ash casually follows her and replies.

"I kissed you because I was so happy. And also, I like you, so…."

"Ash! You can't just go around kissing people because you like them! Wait, _what_?!" Immediately her feet comes to an abrupt stop, almost tripping herself.

 _Did he just…?_

She turns around to see him standing near again and even in the darkness she could see the faint red tainting his cheeks. "What do you mean by that? What about Serena?"

Ash blinks in surprise. Misty stares at the man in front of her, trying to figure out his intentions. Unpredictable as he may be, she's still one of the few who knows him so well. And she was more than certain when she saw his eyes widen in shock signifying the realization that had hit him as he digested her words.

 _Of course. It was too good to be true._

Misty turns around to try to leave for the third time that night but this time Ash had caught her, made her face him as he laughed in pure amusement.

"Wh-why the heck are you laughing?" Misty says in irritation. He had just kissed her while dating Serena. There's definitely something wrong with him.

"I just didn't think you'd be listening to those," he answers in between giggles.

"They're in the papers!"

"It's the tabloid press, Misty," Ash tightens his hold on Misty's shoulders and shakes her a bit.

And when Ash's gaze turns serious, she knew what was about to come.

This time the kiss was longer—their feelings more pronounced, lips molding together at the heat of the moment. At one point Misty thought her legs would give out and ended up holding onto Ash's arms. By the time he pulls away, Misty was almost close to being so disoriented. The kiss was maddening. Her face burned even more and her heart was pounding so hard she was afraid Ash could hear its erratic beating.

He has both hands now cupping her face, his forehead lightly resting on hers, his eyes closed, his breath ghosting her face.

"I like you…" it was merely just above a whisper, but with his face so devastatingly close, she could clearly hear every word. "It has always been you."

 _Me too, I like you too,_ Misty wanted oh so badly to say, but she felt so happy, relieved, and stupid at the same time that her emotions were choking her to a sob. So she just hugged him tight, crying. Tears of utter joy that she never thought she'd be shedding after hearing words she'd never thought she'd be hearing.

Ash hugs her back, tightly, tighter than he has ever did. Then finally Misty clears her throat and after a couple of sniffs, with a chuckle, replies.

"You idiot."

 **Phew, well...that's that! I'll try to have the last chapter up by next week, well...TRY, haha! Until then! Thank you for reading! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own** **Pokémon or any of its characters** **.**

It's been more than two years since they started their new journey.

While it only takes a plane ride from Kanto to reach Kalos, Misty thought she wouldn't mind going through the other regions she's missed out on—Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova—and to make things more interesting, Ash had planned to rejoin each region's respective leagues. His win in Kalos definitely had his veins pumping and he felt like he could win almost any other league now that he's won one. Misty thought it was a good idea, but didn't really express how much.

She thinks it's stupid, but travelling with him to these regions put her restless nights to an end. For years Misty has resorted to setting aside her thoughts of travelling with him again, burying them so deep in her mind that she didn't realize how she cried herself to sleep on many occasions because of it. Now, there was no need to hide, no need to suppress, no need to cry because whenever her mind asks, 'what if I were with him on that boat to Hoenn,' she'll remember the salty wind blowing against her face, she'll remember seeing a rare school of Luvdisc at sunset, the moment when Ash fell on her and found out how clumsy he still was after missing a step going down a flight of stairs, the subtle way he'd reach out to casually hold her hand, the toe-curling kisses he steals from her lips.

* * *

"Are you okay, Misty? What's wrong?" It was typical for him to think that something was definitely up when Misty hugged him from the back all of a sudden. After all, she still wasn't one to initiate skinship—heck, she hasn't even told him ' _I like you_ ' back yet—but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to. She did try to tell him she likes him back in numerous occasions, but Ash had a knack of attracting trouble and she ends up getting interrupted. Other times she ends up getting too annoyed with his denseness at reading the atmosphere and just decides to drop it.

"Nothing," she replies honestly. There really was nothing wrong. Misty just wanted to hug him before he leaves for his own room, that's all.

"Uhm…"

Misty closes her eyes and hugs him tighter. "I just wanted to thank you…" she whispers, not even sure if she wanted him to hear or not just as she found it easier to say these kinds of things when his innocent eyes weren't on her skin. She was stubborn that way.

"…for a lot of things…" she continues. They stayed like that for a good minute or two—standing so still that they started feeling the steady swaying of the ship, the warmth radiating from their bodies, their heartbeats ringing in their ears. It was so peaceful, not perfect, but it felt so right—Ash in her arms—and Misty wished this moment would never end. Then she felt Ash squirm. Panicking, she immediately tightened her arms around him, preventing him from moving one more inch.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She couldn't help but stutter. There was no way she's letting Ash turn around when her face is all red and especially after saying and doing something so embarrassing. "I want to turn around."

"Wh-Why?" she says. "Just continue on your way! You don't need to turn around!"

"But I want to hug you too!" he whines annoyingly like a child about to throw a tantrum. "No! You can't!" Misty replies. She could feel her face and the tips of her ears burn even more. How can such a childish act make her heart race so much!?

Quickly she let go of him and pushed him forward as she turned around to hurriedly open the lock to her door. When it finally opened, a pair of strong arms wraps around her, almost picking her up from the floor as he brought her back flush against his chest. She could feel his face close beside her, resting on her one shoulder.

One of his arms loosens its hold around her and raises it until his hand was caressing one side of her face. "You don't need to thank me," he says softly then plants a kiss on her temple.

 _Arceus,_ Misty thinks as she closes her eyes shut, summoning every ounce of willpower she still had to keep her from melting into a puddle of goo. One more sweet gesture from him and Misty swore her heart would just blow up. Thankfully, he lets go of her and turns around out of the hallway, his smirk evident in the way he bid her "good night."

* * *

Misty also got to meet the different people that Ash has come across in the past. Old travelling companions, a couple of gym leaders, professors, townspeople—she also took the opportunity to go meet with Dawn and May when they visited Sinnoh and Hoenn respectively. And in the midst of Ash's title run, their little detours and reunions, Misty did her best in slowly realizing her dream of becoming a better water-type Pokémon trainer.

And of course, winning the Kalos League was one thing. The Battle Frontier, Hoenn League, Sinnoh League, and Unova League were obviously different. Ash had a harder time when he joined the second time around, but even though he failed to win another title, he still finished better than when he first participated which was a good enough achievement.

Ash placed a close second in the Unova League. It pretty much bummed him out but Misty knew that his sulking won't last long. After all, they were heading to Kalos next. As much as she enjoyed accompanying Ash in his badge hunt, she was pretty excited with finally getting to kick back and relax. A vacation was definitely something that she hasn't had in a while, but given their luck, things never really went the way they planned.

The morning after the final day of the Unova League, Misty had gotten a call from home. She wasn't surprised. Her sisters would usually call her twice a week to check up on her and to ask her the most trivial of things, like where the extra towels were or where the spare keys to the gym are being kept.

So when she answered the call, she didn't expect the two of them to be riding on a plane back to Kanto.

It was disappointing, but Misty would be lying if she didn't expect something like this to come up even for just a tiny bit in her mind. She'd been away long enough, and although Harrison was doing great at being a stand-in Gym Leader, with Daisy's pregnancy, she knew he needed some time away from all the battling.

"It's fine. Kalos can wait," was Ash's casual reply when she told him about the situation. He was pretty excited with Daisy's pregnancy too. Misty felt guilty for ruining their trip, but somehow glad that he understood. _He always understands._

Sometimes she asks the universe what she's done to deserve such a person in her life. Someone who's understanding and stubborn enough to endure moments like this every time. So after three days since returning to Kanto, Misty suggested that Ash rejoin the other conferences nearby. Ash was happy to oblige and went off on his own to the Johto Region first.

Despite their separation, Misty still manages to attend the main events. The rest of her sisters, Violet and Lily, made sure that she does. Miraculously, the two have been hard at work with training while she was away and after proving their capabilities following a battle against her, she realized how serious they were with it. Soon the time came when she finally let the duo on the floor—with her supervision of course—and since then, they have been filling in for her when she's away on Ash duty or if Harrison is out on pregnant-wife duty.

Life in Cerulean definitely became easier and more fun. With her sisters finally helping out and a baby on the way, the Waterflower family has become closer than ever. She was truly thankful.

* * *

Another year and a half has passes since Misty went back to Cerulean. Last month, Daisy just gave birth to a healthy baby girl and everyone they knew was so excited to see her that they decided to mark her first month with a small party.

Delia Ketchum has been coming over quite often too. Because the sisters grew up without a mother for most of their lives, Delia was more than willing to offer her expertise with child-raising. She did manage to raise someone as obnoxious as Ash. She was the perfect choice.

Ash was currently participating in the Indigo League. It will be the last conference on his list down memory lane before either going back to Pallet to rest a bit more or immediately heading to a whole new region in another part of the world. Right now the League was about to reach it's culmination with the first four days of eliminations passing by faster than a Rapidash and with that, Ash is finally advancing to familiar territory—the Top 16.

Misty was walking along the crowded streets of the Pokémon League Village at the Indigo Plateau. She had just arrived from Cerulean and is weaving her way through the crowds, hurriedly trying to get to the place she and Ash had agreed to meet in.

The Pokémon League Village hasn't changed much and that's saying something since she hasn't been back to the place in thirteen years. There were a couple of new stores here and there, a wider set of food choices, new attractions, but even so, being there was definitely nostalgic. After all, this is the stage where it all started.

 _Where Ash lit, not only the torch at Indigo Stadium, but also something inside me…_

* * *

The clearing wasn't too far from the village's main dirt roads. It was an area that they discovered along with Brock the last time they were in the place. It was a small park that used to be packed with people, but since the opening of a bigger park closer to the lodging houses, the place looked pretty deserted.

Walking for a bit more, she started to see a more familiar scene, the lamppost to her right, the bench to her left, the fountain idly sitting in the middle, long forgotten with weeds and vines decorating it. Around the fountain, on one of the benches, she sees him with closed eyes.

 _Seriously,_ Misty thinks. _How could he just doze off like that?_

Misty walks towards him silently, tip-toeing as she went, with a playful grin on her lips. She went on until she was crouching in front of him, looking up to see his sleeping face. For a moment she hesitated. He looked so peaceful that she didn't want to disturb him, but dozing off in a place like this is careless and he needed to learn his lesson.

She raises both hands up to his forehead, readying her one finger for the most painful forehead flick. Stretching her middle finger to the brink, she couldn't help but laugh out loud after hearing what she describes as the loudest slapping sound she's ever heard in her life. Ash yelling in pain made it even funnier.

"Oww!" Ash was curled on his side on the bench with his hands pressing hard on his forehead. Misty was too busy laughing her brains out that she didn't bother caring how her stomach was starting to hurt.

"That hurt! What was that for?!" Ash demanded and saw Misty still laughing hysterically on the ground in front of her.

"Oh Arceus, I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she says after a while as she tries to stifle her laughs. She tries to get up and wipes the tears from her eyes but the sight of a red finger-shaped impression on Ash's forehead got her laughing out loud again.

Ash continued to look at her incredulously but it softens up into a warm smile and even chuckles for a bit.

* * *

Misty was so adorable. Ash may have been a dense airhead, but he has definitely noticed that side of her even when they were still kids. He doesn't exactly know when he started feeling _that way_ towards Misty. He figured it must have been there all along. He just didn't know how to translate that feeling well at ten years old. She was stubborn and so full of pride that watching her trying to break out of her own persona in moments like this makes her ten times cuter and a hundred times more irresistible.

Ash has come across numerous people in his journeys, but no one has ever made his heart clench and his mind shut down with just a simple laugh.

"Okay, okay. I'm good." Finally Misty starts settling down again and straightens herself up. She looks at Ash with an amused smile, her lips trembling for a bit as she bit down another laugh.

"What were you doing sleeping at a place like this anyways?" she asks, one hand resting on her hip. Ash looks up to her with his usual innocent gaze, like a kid about to get a sermon. "What if a stray Pokémon or Team Rocket decided to sneak up on you before I arrived? If something bad happened then you won't be able to win the title tomorrow." Misty then casually puts a hand on his head and ruffles his hair a bit harder than it was supposed to be.

"Ugh, hey!" Ash started to protest but was cut off when she muttered, "You should be more careful next time."

Ash felt his breath hitch. _There it is again._

Averted eyes, self-conscious pout, tainted cheeks, gentle touch, timid words.

Ash didn't even need to look up to confirm his mental picture of her right now. It was such a familiar sight that it had been ingrained deep in his mind—something that he'd replay perfectly without fail behind closed eyes. A manifest of how much he's observed her so keenly in the past years that they've been together, and yet, every time it happens he could still feel his heart skipping a beat, blood rushing to the base of his neck, muscles tensing in astonishment—much like how he felt when Misty spontaneously hugged him, discreetly and hurriedly, before they went their separate ways after that fiasco in Dr. Yung's lab.

Maybe that was when a spark finally ignited something inside of him—burning away his oblivious façade and baring his heart to more intense emotions leaving him repeatedly wondering when he'd be seeing her again, when he'd be able to return that hug.

Retreating her hand cautiously, she sits on the space beside him and sighs. The next couple of minutes were met with silence. Both of them sat there, her slowly observing how much the time has done to the seemingly forgotten sanctuary, him finding the cobblestone under his shoes quite interesting.

"Do you think I can do it?" Misty turns his head to him and blinks in confusion, her brows furrowing further down the middle. "Do you think I can stand on that stage?"

Misty continued to stare, genuinely puzzled at this new side of Ash that she's seeing. He's always been so full of confidence and always had a positive outlook that it's ridiculous. But right now, is he…doubting? Himself? Was it because he was unsuccessful the second time around that he's joined those leagues? Was the pressure getting to him?

He doesn't look at her and just continues to look at the ground. "I've been thinking since earlier, and I probably fell asleep while I did so. But…" When he sighs she took it as her cue to say something. Reaching out with one hand, she put it on his arm, squeezing it gently. The unexpected initiation of skinship worked as he raises his head in slight confusion and looks at her with rare worried eyes. Misty gives him the most reassuring smile.

"I don't think you'll win," she says and rubs his arm a little. "I _know_ you will win."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I can't exactly tell how, but…it's like a gut feeling, or something."

"Eh? Well, that doesn't sound so reassuring."

Immediately, Misty looks at him with wide eyes. "Ha?!" Ash looks at her in alarm. "Pfft. Are you serious? For someone who went with gut feeling for most of the decisions in his life, you're really telling me that they aren't _'reassuring'_?"

"Exactly. I've been functioning through gut feeling for most of my life and in majority of those, you were doubtful—critical, even." Ash replies, his troubled expression worn on his face again.

Misty looks at him with disbelieving eyes. Ash actually made sense. He must really be worried about this.

She brings her hand back and laces her fingers with her own. Staring into nowhere in particular in front of her, she speaks, "Well..." Misty doesn't even know how to approach him when he's in this state. How does one interact with a lucid Ash Ketchum exactly? She's never thought that this day would ever come.

"You're Ash Ketchum! You never listen to anybody. Yeah sure I doubted you but did that ever stop you? You're like, the ultimate optimist and the perfect example of a risk-taker." She starts, speaking whatever thought that comes into her mind, hoping that it'd enlighten him at least for a bit. "I mean, you went ahead and kissed me all of a sudden without even knowing if I like you or not. How—"

"You don't like me?" Ash interrupts.

"Of course I do. But that's not the—wait, why are you looking at me that way?"

Ash's worried expression dissolved into a mischievous one faster than you could say 'Muk', and by the way his eyes glinted, she knew he walked right into his trap, again. Misty could feel her blood rush back up to her cheeks again and soon she found herself unable to look at his face again.

His cheeky grin was a dead giveaway of what he was thinking as of the moment. On a normal day, it didn't look like it mattered, but right now she was sure that he has long been waiting for this time to come. After a couple of seconds she managed to gather enough courage and swallow her pride. She looks at him dead in the eyes.

"I like you," she says, trying hard not to give into the want to turn around and drown herself in a nearby pond. She could feel her heart beating so loudly that she was worried Ash might hear it. "There, I said it. Sorry if it took so long," she adds with a rather annoyed tone, like a child made to admit a mistake that she did and made to say sorry for it.

Ash chuckles and in an instant her embarrassment instantly turned into bemusement. "Why the Arceus are you laughing?" She'd just confessed to him, told him she liked him finally, and he just laughs?

"Well, I didn't know you'd actually come out and say it," Ash says and looks at her with those warm brown eyes again. "But I know. I've known all along."

"What do you mean? How did you know?"

"Gut feeling." For a moment they just stared at each other and when Misty breaks out into a laugh, Ash follows. It was silly. It was really silly, but that's kind of Misty's thing. Of course he knew. After all the things that they've been through, it should've been obvious to anyone—even Ash—that she liked him too.

"But I was surprised when you said it. I have to admit it made me happy." Discreetly, Ash reaches for one of Misty's hands. He laces his fingers with hers and felt her answer back with a squeeze.

And maybe it was luck, maybe it was destiny, but realizing that it was her left hand that he reached out to—her left hand that he was holding—he took it as a clear sign from Ho-oh itself nonetheless.

"But there is one thing I'm not sure about." He takes a deep breath and stands up. "Not one bit," he adds then stands in front of her, still holding her hand tightly in his. Looking down at her, he took a moment to look at Misty's face, memorizing her slight confusion at his sudden action. And locking his warm brown eyes with her questioning viridian ones, he was intent to forever remember this moment for the rest of his life, however it may turn out.

Kneeling on one knee, he took another deep breath before baring his heart once again.

"Will you marry me?"

And in that one second, the world seemed to stop. The sounds of distant chattering and activity from the nearby marketplace ceased, the air ever so still, the Pokémon that happened to listen in one them in the sidelines holding their breaths, anticipation building up as the next second brought them back to the real world.

A myriad of expressions played across Misty's face. Surprise, confusion, understanding, nervousness, awkwardness, joy.

"Ash…" she said his name barely above whisper, but he heard it all too clearly. For the first time in a while, tears started to well up on her eyes. It took her a while to say something again with her emotions once more trying to choke her into sobs, but this was something that she couldn't say to him later or tomorrow or how many years after. It had to be now.

"Yes!"

Standing up, she slipped her hand out of his hold and wrapped them around his neck, hugging him tightly as he felt him hug her back so tightly that she was lifted off the ground. "R-really? Arceus, Misty!" he says, the joy and relief in his voice so evident that it annoyed her for a moment. "Of course I'll marry you, you idiot," she says as she buries her face into his neck. She feels him chuckle and they stay like that for a while, comfortably wrapped in each other's arms. And she knew that there was no other perfect time to say the other thing she's been dying to tell him.

"I love you."

And for once, it was Ash whose muscles tensed at her declaration. She looks up to his surprised eyes and flashes him a mischievous smirk. "Well what do you know. There actually is a way to shut you up." And with his unchanged expression, Misty laughs again in pure amusement. "I'm seriously going to—"

Taking her into another surprise kiss, she smiles into his lips, sparks travelling throughout her body. And when he deepens the kiss, he literally left both of them breathless. "I love you too."

 **I'M ALIVE! But seeing how I've taken so long to update, I might get killed later on anyways. Haha. I'm sorry for the huge delay. Things have been pretty busy here. I've finally decided to look for a job and while I haven't applied for one yet, I'm already starting to gather some of the most obvious requirements needed. I hope you guys enjoyed!**


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